Comparison of chlorophyll a concentration detected by remote sensors and other chlorophyll indices in inhomogeneous turbid waters

A new analytical approach for retrieval of the vertically weighted chlorophyll a concentration (Chl(rs)) detected by remote sensors is presented. Model calculations were carried out for the turbid waters of Lake Kinneret, Israel, and showed that Chl(rs) may be replaced by the average chlorophyll a concentration (Chl(p)) within the upper "penetration layer" 0-Z(p). The study also showed a high correlation between Chl(rs) and Chl concentration averaged in the other depth layers, namely, the 0-1 m layer, the euphotic layer (0-Z(e)), and the production layer (0-Z(pr)). Our findings are closely related to models developed for the world ocean, with the exception of periods when the dinoflagellate Peridinium gatunense blooms in the lake. We showed the effect of the pattern of vertical Chl distributions within the penetration layer on the difference between Chl(rs) and other Chl indices was conspicuous when the Chl maximum was in the uppermost 0- m layer of the water column. We assume that the presented approaches are instrumental for further development of optimal, locally adapted algorithms for remote sensing of Chl in any type of natural waters.     

A new approach to radioactive waste self-burial using high penetrating radiation

The method of self-burial of radioactive waste in geological formations using direct heating of rocks by radiation is proposed in this paper. In the currently known studies, thermal conductivity is considered as a main heat transfer mechanism. Application of high penetrating gamma radiation for direct melting of surrounding rocks will reduce the energy absorption inside the sinking device and will lower maximum temperature and temperature gradients in the elements of the device. In this paper, conditions of realization of the direct heating by radiation mechanism are presented and requirements to heat-generating radionuclides have been derived. Assessments of the spatial distribution of energy release in the surrounding rocks for the point and plane sources with the radionuclide ⁶⁰Co have been performed. Based on these data, the temperature distributions in the surrounding rocks and the expression for determining the descent velocity as a function of ⁶⁰Co surface activity in the sinking device have been obtained. Estimations of energy absorption fraction inside the spherical heat-generating elements filled with ⁶⁰Co and surface activity of ⁶⁰Co, necessary to achieve velocity of about 1 km per year, have been made. The results are given for granite and salt rocks.     

Updated safety analysis of ITER

An updated version of the ITER Preliminary Safety Report has been produced and submitted to the licensing authorities. It is revised and expanded in response to requests from the authorities after their review of an earlier version in 2008, to reflect enhancements in ITER safety provisions through design changes, to incorporate new and improved safety analyses and to take into account other ITER design evolution. The updated analyses show that changes to the Tokamak cooling water system design have enhanced confinement and reduced potential radiological releases as well as removing decay heat with very high reliability. New and updated accident scenario analyses, together with fire and explosion risk analyses, have shown that design provisions are sufficient to minimize the likelihood of accidents and reduce potential consequences to a very low level. Taken together, the improvements provided a stronger demonstration of the very good safety performance of the ITER design.     

An extended Krylov subspace method to simulate single-phase fluid flow phenomena in axisymmetric and anisotropic porous media

We develop and validate a novel numerical algorithm for the simulation of axisymmetric single-phase fluid flow phenomena in porous and permeable media. In this new algorithm, the two-dimensional parabolic partial differential equation for fluid flow is transformed into an explicit finite-difference operator problem. The latter is solved by making use of an extended Krylov subspace method (EKSM) constructed with both positive and inverse powers of the finite-difference operator. A significant advantage of the method of solution presented in this paper is that simulations of pressure can be obtained at a multitude of times with practically the same efficiency as that of a single-time simulation. Moreover, the usage of inverse powers of the finite-difference operator provides a substantial increase in efficiency with respect to that of standard Krylov subspace methods. Tests of numerical performance with respect to analytical solutions for point and line sources validate the accuracy of the developed method of solution. We also validate the algorithm by making comparisons between analytical and numerical solutions in the Laplace transform domain. Additional tests of accuracy and efficiency are performed against a commercial simulator for spatially complex and anisotropic models of permeable media.     

Polymerization characteristics of a dye of anthraquinone

A technical dye of the anthraquinone type was analyzed by GPC, mass spectroscopy, and elemental analysis. Along with the polymerizable component, N-[4-amino-3-methoxyanthraquinonyl-(1)] methacrylamide (I), it contained a saturated admixture, N-[4-amino-3-methoxyanthraquinonyl-(1)]-2-chloro-2-methylpropionamide (II). The homopolymerization of I was carried out, and admixture II was isolated and characterized. The copolymerization of the dye with styrene and methyl methacrylate was verified, and the retardation effect of II on the polymerization of these monomers was evaluated.     

Biological and technical variables affecting immunoassay recovery of cytokines from human serum and simulated vaginal fluid: a multicenter study

The increase of proinflammatory cytokines in vaginal secretions may serve as a surrogate marker of unwanted inflammatory reaction to microbicide products topically applied for the prevention of sexually transmitted diseases, including HIV-1. Interleukin (IL)-1beta and IL-6 have been proposed as indicators of inflammation and increased risk of HIV-1 transmission; however, the lack of information regarding detection platforms optimal for vaginal fluids and interlaboratory variation limit their use for microbicide evaluation and other clinical applications. This study examines fluid matrix variants relevant to vaginal sampling techniques and proposes a model for interlaboratory comparisons across current cytokine detection technologies. IL-1beta and IL-6 standards were measured by 12 laboratories in four countries, using 14 immunoassays and four detection platforms based on absorbance, chemiluminescence, electrochemiluminescence, and fluorescence. International reference preparations of cytokines with defined biological activity were spiked into (1) a defined medium simulating the composition of human vaginal fluid at pH 4.5 and 7.2, (2) physiologic salt solutions (phosphate-buffered saline and saline) commonly used for vaginal lavage sampling in clinical studies of cytokines, and (3) human blood serum. Assays were assessed for reproducibility, linearity, accuracy, and significantly detectable fold difference in cytokine level. Factors with significant impact on cytokine recovery were determined by Kruskal-Wallis analysis of variance with Dunn's multiple comparison test and multiple regression models. All assays showed acceptable intra-assay reproducibility; however, most were associated with significant interlaboratory variation. The smallest reliably detectable cytokine differences ( P < 0.05) derived from pooled interlaboratory data varied from 1.5- to 26-fold depending on assay, cytokine, and matrix type. IL-6 but not IL-1beta determinations were lower in both saline and phosphate-buffered saline as compared to vaginal fluid matrix, with no significant effect of pH. The (electro)chemiluminescence-based assays were most discriminative and consistently detected <2-fold differences within each matrix type. The Luminex-based assays were less discriminative with lower reproducibility between laboratories. These results suggest the need for uniform vaginal sampling techniques and a better understanding of immunoassay platform differences and cross-validation before the biological significance of cytokine variations can be validated in clinical trials. This investigation provides the first standardized analytic approach for assessing differences in mucosal cytokine levels and may improve strategies for monitoring immune responses at the vaginal mucosal interface.     

M-ary sequential detection under conditions of a priori uncertainty

Sequential detection under conditions of a priori uncertainty is investigated. A MAP sequential detector is developed and its performance is evaluated using mean path approximation. The result obtained are verified via comparison with previously published computer simulation research. The comparison shows a good agreement between theory and experiment. The sequential approach is shown to provide a greatly reduced error rate as compared with one nonsequential approach under the same signal/noise conditions.     

如何选择平锻机

平锻机用于长杆类锻件局部多工位成形,可完成镦粗、冲孔、切边、镦挤、切断、弯曲等工作(图1)。平锻机一般有垂直分模式平锻机和水平模式平锻机两种。锻模分模方式给平锻机结构带来了明显的差别。垂直分模式平锻机在最近30～40年虽结构上变化不大,但耐用性逐步提高,表现在其自身的刚性、工艺适应性及能耗指标均有改善;水平分模式平锻机则相比之下仍处于研制和完善过程之中。1两种平锻机的比较(1)垂直分模式平锻机该类平锻机可靠性高,使用寿命长,工作区域操作方便,锻模更换容易,氧化皮易于从工作区域清理,提高了锻模的寿命。但该类平锻机难于…     

Byzantine Agreement Given Partial Broadcast

This paper considers unconditionally secure protocols for reliable broadcast among a set of n players, where up to t of the players can be corrupted by a (Byzantine) adversary but the remaining h = n - t players remain honest. In the standard model with a complete, synchronous network of bilateral authenticated communication channels among the players, broadcast is achievable if and only if 2n/h < 3. We show that, by extending this model by the existence of partial broadcast channels among subsets of b players, global broadcast can be achieved if and only if the number h of honest players satisfies 2n/h < b + 1. Achievability is demonstrated by protocols with communication and computation complexities polynomial in the size of the network, i.e., in the number of partial broadcast channels. A respective characterization for the related consensus problem is also given.     

Adsorption and desorption dynamics of associative polymers onto particulates of titanium dioxide,alumina and quartz

The authors have been investigating the adsorption and desorption dynamics of nonionic water soluble polymers on inorganic particles. The influence of the nature of polymers with and without associating hydrophobic end groups, the nature of adsorbents [TiO₂, Al₂O₃ (neutral, acid and basic), and SiO₂], polymer concentrations, linear velocity of fluids, and mutual diffusion of polymer molecules on the patterns of adsorption and desorption distribution of polymer concentrations are shown. The model polymer is a nonionic polyurethane polymer based on ethylene oxide. The polymer's structure is R-O-(DI-PEO)₆-DI-O-R (R is C₁₆H₃₃, DI is isophorone diisocyanate, and PEO is CARBOWAX^TM with a molecular weight of 8200). The phenomenological models of association and dissociation kinetics of associative polymers are suggested. The half-lives of clusters into adsorption and desorption layers are estimated. It is shown that heats of desorption of associative polymers are dependent essentially on heats of dissociation of clusters.